The Only Exception
by dinosonzii
Summary: It's Leo's last few days on the island Ogygia, and Calypso's finally warming up to him. After a tiring day of work, Leo settles down on the beach and begins to examine how he really feels about Calypso. Can they both open up enough to find love? [Takes place the day before Leo leaves Ogygia and follows canon] (WARNING: SOMEWHAT HoH SPOILERS)
1. Chapter 1

Leo sat alone on the white sandy beach of Ogygia, resting up after making the final touches to his machine which would be able to propel him off this island… hopefully. But did he really want to leave? He knew he had to; his friends wouldn't be able to sail the Argo II without him, but he couldn't just leave her here. The change in her attitude towards him confused him, but he was also glad she was warming up to him, at least a little. After all, it was lonely on this island, and she was really beautiful, not that it mattered of course.

They were both covered in sweat and grime, after working in Leo's makeshift forge all day. She had just left to go get cleaned up and get some food for them both. Leo had simply sat down, sooty and greasy, too exhausted to move even a little. Calypso. Her name danced gracefully through his thoughts, soothing and calming his mind. He was not fiddling with his tools, or bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, he was simply sitting there, staring at the setting sun against the painted blue sky, watching the twinkling stars come out one by one, gracing Leo with their presence. He was at peace.

The island's quiet beauty reminded him of an english song his mother would sometimes sing, when she thought that he was fast asleep. But even as a child, demigod dreams would keep him awake for countless nights. Unbidden, a memory resurfaced in his mind, a memory which he had tried to push deep down and keep locked in some tiny corner of his soul. Somewhere along the line, that memory had become a barrier in his soul. Today he let the memory flow back out, instead of pushing it away again, determined to find out what that memory had blocked for so long. He closed his eyes and let the scenes wash over him once again.

_Leo was six years old again, lying on his bed curled up in his Power Ranger blanket, he was fast asleep, or so it seemed. His mother, Esperanza, was sitting on the edge of his bed singing, different songs, both in english and spanish, savouring the moments with her lovely son._

_In little Leo's dream, however, he was alone in a huge forge. Leo was calling out for his mom, not scared in the least because this was a workshop, and his mother worked in a workshop, so she must be here, dream-Leo reasoned. He wandered the vast forge, marvelling in the different mechanical works, sitting on endless metal shelves, flying through the corridors, seeming like magic. Leo turned the corner and found himself face to face with an extremely large man with a disfigured face. He was sitting on a stool behind a huge workstation, where he was building small trinkets and gadgets, muttering under his breath, so quickly that Leo could only catch a few words. "Marry him to Aphrodite… won't find love anyway…make him useful…doesn't matter to them….I FOUND IT… and they took it away from me...again… no one cares…wind gods to bring change…can't do their jobs...why should I..."._

_Suddenly, he crushed what he was working on and swept all the excess materials off the table, with a frustrated, almost angry sigh. The man then pulled out some more tools and material from what seemed to be thin air and set to work again. He worked for a few moments in silence, only the sound of hammers on steel to be heard, before looking up and fixing his bloodshot eyes, which looked as though he had been crying for days, right onto Leo. Poor Leo, who was wide-eyed and curious only a moment ago, froze in fear as the giant man asked in a gruff, strained voice "How did you get in here? You're trespassing."_

_The 6-year old was scared out of his mind, the only thing he wanted was to be with his mother, not under the glare of this strange man. The young Leo's dream blended with reality as he heard his mother's voice singing __**"When I was younger I saw, my daddy cry, and curse at the wind."**__ , which gave him strength to reply to the large man, just like his mother taught him, "My name is Leo Valdez and my mother's name is Esperanza, and I like to make stuff."_

_The man's eyes widened before changing color, to the exact shade of Leo's eyes. "Esperanza's son… my son…" he whispered, more to himself than to Leo. The man refocused on his work once more. He created a steel replica of a heart, which was beating just like a normal like a normal heart, the gears clicking and turning to form a regular heart beat. The man gazed for a long while at the heart before looking at Leo again, the previous anger vanished from his eyes, only to be replaced by a sad gaze, like he knew something Leo didn't and was pitying him inside. "Leo… You're going to make me proud one day. I am-" The man made a choking noise, causing Leo to step back. Still coughing, he smashed his fist into the heart he had made, scattering the pieces across the table. "Darn you!" he shouted in anger at the ceiling. "Leo, the fates won't let me speak to you now, but we will meet again. Now it's time for you to go." The large man smiled warmly before snapping his fingers and the room began to spin before Leo's eyes_

_Leo's mother's voice became louder and louder in his ears as he began to wake from the dream, and as he regained consciousness, he swore he caught a glimpse of the man, painstakingly reassembling the broken heart. His mother sang __**"He broke his own heart and I watched, as he tried to reassemble it."**_

_Leo was now awake but didn't open his eyes, for fear that his mother might stop her beautiful, soothing singing. He listened as she sang, __**"And my mama swore that she would never let herself forget."**__ His mother sounded sad, and young Leo wished he could do something to help. He had always wondered why his mother was alone while all his friends had a loving mom and dad. Then and there, his child mind decided that if no one could love his wonderful mother, then he would, and for them other's love wouldn't be needed. It wouldn't even matter. With that final thought he began to doze into a dreamless, peaceful sleep, listening to his mother's familiar voice fill the room as she sang, __**"And that was the day, that I promised, I'd never sing of love, if it does not exist."**_

Leo opened his eyes and took in the scene of the pristine ocean with roaring waves in front of him. He began to hum the tune of the song his mother had sung to him that night, waiting for Calypso to come back. When he looked back a few moments later he saw her, wearing a shining white top and deep blue jeans, making her way down the slope to meet him, with a large picnic basket, he could help but sing the last few words.** "You are the only exception."**

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**A/N: This is based on The Only Exception, by Paramore(obviously). Will be a 3-shot. I don't own HoO or the song. Cover Art by Viria. I hope you enjoyed. PLEASE REVIEW! And thank you, very much for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Calypso brushed the dust off her grime-coated clothes as she walked the winding path back towards her cave. Her shirt was more yellow than white now. She would have never allowed herself to get so soiled before, not for someone else at least. What was happening to her? She looked back over her shoulder to see the scrawny, curly-haired boy stumble down towards the beach and collapse in the sand. The scene brought a smile to her lips and she wondered when this boy had crawled his way into her mind and soul. Into her heart.

The gods were cruel, she thought as she reached the cave. At first, when she had found Leo, she had thought that he was sent as some kind of joke by the gods. Another humiliation she was to be put through, for making that one unwise decision, all those centuries ago. But even then she had been relieved. Relieved that she wouldn't have to fall hopelessly in love with another hero, who would never return her feelings. Relieved she wouldn't have to watch her love sail away from her of their own will, to go save the one they love, the one they are promised to.

Calypso reached her cave and began to water the plants in her garden, and sing to them, like she always did, to make them grow even more beautiful. This time however, the melody which was flowing out of her sparkling pink lips was different; **"Maybe I know, somewhere, deep in my soul, that love never lasts."**

As she strode through the garden she thought about her hobbies, gardening, cooking, sewing, painting. The things that usually gave her so much joy, felt like nothing more than distractions. Distractions from her lonely life. From her broken heart. She watered the last of the plants before heading back inside her cave to clean up, all the while singing, **"And we've got to find other ways, to make it alone, and keep a straight face."**

Calypso stepped out of her bathing pool, which was attached to her cave home, yet carefully hidden, wrapped up in a warm white towel, her cinnamon hair clipped up in a messy bunch. She took in her surroundings. The sleek cave she had lived in for so many years, with glittering gemstones and shimmering crystals, lighting up the walls. Her bed off in one corner, fitted with silky white sheets and fluffy pillows, where she had nursed countless heroes back to health, watching over them as they slept, kindly barring the nightmares heroes have the misfortune to experience, at least while they were under her care. At the foot of her bed was the wooden trunk, filled with her few precious possessions and gifts she had obtained from the visiting gods and the heroes she had loved. She walked across the woollen white rug, which saved her bare feet from having to step upon the cold smooth rock floor, to her large, old-fashioned wooden wardrobe. She opened the doors and shuffled through the hangers of her near-identical white dresses, before reaching for her newly sown and much more comfortable jeans and a white cotton top. She shut the doors with a soft click and made her way back to the bed, singing **"And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance."** She thought about those heroes - Odysseus, Percy; She had tried so desperately to not fall for them, to no avail. She kept her distance yet they had still managed to worm their way into her heart, only to cause its collapse by leaving her forever. As she changed and brushed out her hair, her thoughts turned to the silly demigod waiting patiently on her beach. It brought an unexpected smile to her lips. He didn't look like much but somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It had been a long time since she had company; she was tired of being lonely, with only the gentle doves in her garden to keep her company. **"And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content, with loneliness..." **She sang softly, humming the tune as she went to prepare dinner for them.

She packed the last of the food into the large picnic basket (Leo had quite the appetite), just as the sun began to set. She set out down the long winding path to the beach. She knew somewhere deep in her heart that she was falling for him, and her brain was telling her the decision was unwise, but she wanted to trust that this time things would be different. She knew those heroes would leave her, but this time… This time Leo wasn't leaving because he was promised to someone, he wasn't leaving because he loved another. He was leaving to save her, save himself, and save the world. She began to let herself hope, _**because none of them were ever worth the risk,**_ but Leo was.

She pushed aside the last branch in her path, to see the setting sun's fiery red glow washed over the still form on the beach. She smiled, taking in the beautiful sight of a calm and content Leo. Her smile grew wider as she made her way down the slope, singing the last lines of her song, softly, so she didn't disturb her new friend, **"You are the only exception."**

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the second installment, from Calypso's POV. I know its kind of short. It was longer but I edited it out as it was dragging quite a bit. Again, I don't own anything. If you liked it then please drop me a review! Thank you for reading! **


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